Whitethorn

It begins and ends with the same overall plot as The Power of One but the middle is all new, with memorable characters. Plot is not as memorable as Power but as with Power and Tandia, I could not put it down. I even came home from work just to read right through. I miss Courtenay’s ease of style so I just ordered 2 more by him.

Purchased Bryce Courtenay's Whitethorn. His books are hard to find in the US. Usually have to get them from Canada or Uk. Sevice was excellent and book was as listed. DW Diboll TX

WHITETHORN A Novel of Africa By Bryce Courtenay Reviewed by Roger Seeman, Pretoria, South Africa. This is not a book for the squeamish, if you love children. But even the squeamish will be unable to resist turning its 671 pages, such is the compulsion to find out what life holds in store for illegitimate Tom Fitzsaxby, abandoned in an orphanage in South Africa at age four. Overwhelmed by Afrikaans orphans who have been taught, from pulpit and at daily breakfast lectures, to hate everything English, and to idolize Hitler, English-born Tom is made to feel personally responsible for the deaths of Afrikaaner women and children in British concentration camps during the Anglo-Boer War. Defenseless, he is brutalized physically and verbally. But one man, a Zulu labourer in the orphanage, and Tom's father-figure, rescues him from a degrading situation - and is murdered as a result. But Tom's intelligence is recognized by a kindly Afrikaans student teacher who sets in motion a chain of events that transforms his life. This enables him to escape the orphanage at a relatively early age, achieve academic honours, and to avenge the murder of the Zulu labourer. Tom's adventures take him beyond the borders of South Africa, and lead to him getting caught up in the Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya. Written in the first person, Tom's experiences are told in graphically disturbing, but often heart-warming detail. The language of the book is not always the Queen's English, but it is the only language Tom knows, and it is not without some humour. The frequent use of Afrikaans words and phrases is brilliantly handled by the author so that even non-South African readers cannot fail to understand their meanings. There is also a glossary to aid this understanding, but unfortunately one only discovers this once one has turned the last page. Whitethorn is strongly autobiographical, the author himself having been born illegitimately (See www.brycecourtenay.com), and who has an intimate knowledge of all he writes about in this book. A splendid read.

I'm an avid Bryce Courtenay and Wilbur Smith fan. Having visited New Zealand several times, I'm somewhat familiar with the history of that part of the world. Like Courtenay's other novels, this is a must read.

Tom Fitzsaxby is an orphan whose English surname ensures that he will be a total outcast in the rural Afrikaner orphanage he grows up in. The story follows Tom through the years of WWII and the post-war years until he is in his thirties. During this time he is dogged by the legacy of the racism that was rampant in the community of his childhood. The early stages of the book are written using the narrative voice of the young Tom. The naivety inherent in this child's perspective allows Courtenay to explore and comment on aspects of racism without ever becoming preachy or trite. The story is peopled with a variety of fascinating characters of differing racial and social backgrounds, allowing us a glimpse into the subtly different ways that racism manifests itself. At times the plot is a trifle contrived and Tom seems to be the recipient of just a few too many lucky breaks, but the overall storyline is gripping as well as containing many interesting historical details. Overall the novel is an insightful window onto the nature of racial conflict in southern Africa.